Contax always pays special attention to the aesthetics of its digital cameras, and the new 4-megapixel U4R is no different. The retro design might not appeal to all tastes but it does stand out from the crowd.

The swivel lens design allows you to take photos at various angles, but the U4R has no optical viewfinder. Although this isn't a huge problem, the LCD display does drain the battery. We also found the small navigation joystick on the back of the camera a little awkward to use.

A number of preset modes make it easy to shoot in all sorts of conditions. During testing, the U4R had some trouble detecting objects in low-light conditions, but on the whole image quality was fairly good. An impressive 'burst mode' lets you take three shots per second without the flash.

There's a 3x optical zoom and 6x digital zoom and the U4R comes with a USB docking station but no memory card, so you'll have to factor this into the price. And at just under £400, the U4R isn't cheap.

Contact:
Contax 01189 337000
www.contaxcameras.co.uk